Katherine Center once again does not disappoint. This one is probably my new favorite of hers.
Hello Stranger is a light hearted romance that centers around Sadie Montgomery. Sadie is a struggling portrait artist, barely making ends meet and living in less than a stellar apartment. But things start to look up when she is announced as one of the finalist at a highly recognized portrait competition. This is going to be Sadie’s big break. That is until she had a seizure in the middle of the street and rushed to the hospital. With even more bad news, the doctor tells Sadie she must have surgery due to having a malformed blood vessel in her brain. After the surgery, her world is flipped upside down when she realizes she cannot see faces! How can she paint a face portrait when she can’t see what their face looks like?! Ugh

Once again, Center creates vulnerable, likable, relatable characters and makes you care about them, makes you root for them, and makes you angry when roadblocks occur. Sadie was a strong female character who changed and grew over the course of this book. She had flaws, she had pain, she had sadness and anger, but she also possessed courage, heart, and determination. She felt real. I was completely and totally immersed. I listened to this one on audio and let me tell you…it was amazing. Patti Murin did everything right. I don’t have one bad thing to say.

If there is one book I would recommend above all others this year...it would be this one! Do not miss out! It is a must read!

Sadie Montgomery is a portrait artist who develops a “probably temporary” condition known as face blindness. She can see, but every face she looks at is now a jumbled puzzle of disconnected features. Kinda puts your career and love life in jeopardy or not?

Before going into this book know that you are going to have to suspend belief a bit. I had so many questions related to the facial blindness plot that didn’t get answered. So just go with the flow. Also if miscommunication is not your trope may be check out Katherine Center’s How To Walk Away because it’s my favorite.

Sadie’s love interests are super sweet and it was interesting to see how a relationship develops when she can’t see faces (picture Helen Keller style of learning here). Add an adorable pet that likes Thai food for comedic relief and this one was cute. Heads up for my spice queens…this is closed door.

Hello Stranger is hands down one of my top favorite reads this year!. I loved it from beginning to end, especially the author’s note.
At first I didn’t know what the story was about. As it began to play out I started researching about the subject and was drawn instantly and couldn’t stop listening. The chemistry between Sadie and “Joe” was swoon worthy. I can’t wait for release day so I can talk about it with readers in the book club! The narrator was great. 5 stars
Thank you Netgalley and SMP for an advance copy, in exchange for my honest review.

"We see what we're looking for."

Well that was a very fun and unique romance book! Truthfully, I struggled in the beginning. I didn't LOVE Sadie (our FMC) until later in the book and found her a bit unlikeable for a while. But she grew on me as she grew as a character. I loved Joe (MMC), her bestie Soo, and even her evil step-sister/arch nemesis Parker. She played the villain VERY well.

One of the main reasons I'm giving this 4 Stars is because I found the book to be a bit slow-moving for a little while. It didn't truly hook me until about halfway through. That said, I'm really glad I kept reading. That was one of my favorite endings to any romance book I've read. I really thought it was perfect and appreciated that nearly all of the storylines were resolved/wrapped-up. You don't always get that!

Read If You Like:
-Grumpy/Sunshine (Her/Him Respectively)
-Fun, Unique Romance Plots
-Men Who Love Animals
-Stories About Perseverance/Self-Discovery
-Family Dynamics/Drama
-Well-Done Love Triangles
-Medical Storylines

Audiobook Notation: FANTASTIC. I loved the narration by Patti Murin and really felt that she brought the story and characters to life. Each character/voice was unique and I really enjoyed listening to the whole thing.

Overall, while it wasn't perfect I definitely recommend! Thank you so much to Macmillan Audio for the ALC in exchange for an honest review.

A light, fun read with touches of drama. Definitely what a girl needed.

I felt bad for Sadie a lot. Her stepsister was the worst. Her dad and stepmom could have been on her side a bit more. I definitely laughed out loud at the big reveal.

I never thought I would like a Katherine Center book MORE than I liked her book The Bodyguard, but Hello Stranger has surprised me in the best of ways! I really enjoyed reading this one!

Sadie is a portrait artist who experiences “face blindness” and can no longer see faces properly due to a complication with her brain surgery. And this led to so much of a journey for us to read along. I loved watching her grow into a more confident person, despite her disability. Her friendship with Joe was so wholesome and I loved watching it develop into a romantic one.

The Kim’s are the sweetest/funniest human beings on the planet and I absolutely loved them. Top tier side characters for sure. Also the twist at the end didn’t surprise me, but was still cute!

Overall, I loved this book. I loved Sadie and I loved Joe! I would highly recommend this one!

🤍 Thank you so much to the publisher @stmartinspress & @netgalley for this advanced reader copy!

⚠️TW: bullying, death of parent, medical content, gaslighting, panic attacks/disorders, grief, suicide attempt, fatphobia, infidelity

Book: Hello Stranger
Author: Katherine Center
Format: Audiobook
Genre: Romance
Places Featured: United States
Review Score: ⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2 (rounded up)
Review: Sadie Montgomery is an artist struggling with a lot more than just art–her mother died when she was young, her beloved dog is sick, her stepsister torments her, the relationship with her father is strained, and she’s so broke she’s living in a “hovel” that’s actually her art studio owned by her best friend’s parents. And just to make things really bad–she needs brain surgery and ends up with a possibly/hopefully temporary case of face blindness. (And how does a portrait artist enter the contest of her dreams with face blindness?) Two men do appear in her life, though, that give her a little bit of hope. I really liked Sadie and I liked her relationship with Joe. Katherine Center has a knack for writing likable believable female characters who are struggling with relatable feelings and although Sadie’s problems are a little over-the-top and the “twist” was VERY predictable, it's still an enjoyable love story. Patti Murran’s talents shine as the narrator.

This book! This is my 2nd KC book and I already have the rest of her books on my backlist tbr. And I need to trust her and I know I’ll already love it. I was drawn to the cute cover, and the plot was so intriguing!
🖼️
Sadie is a hot mess but on the brink of changing her life. As a portrait artist she has won a spot in an art contest, only shortly after hearing the great news she has a near death experience, as a side effect she has face blindness and can’t see faces. This changes everything!
🖼️
I was interested from the beginning by my ignorance of never having heard of this. There’s a love triangle, friends to lovers, great women’s fiction character arc and beauty in the small things of life. KC sees that beauty and she has a gift with prose by painting the whole picture of her fantastical and whimsical world. Patti Murin narrates Sadie and hits the emotion right bring Sadie to life during this turning point.
🖼️
Katherine swept me up in the story, pulled at my heart in multiple directions, kept me guessing and making me fall in love with love stories all over again. Make sure to read her Author’s Note at the end 💜
🖼️
Be kind to all you meet. You don’t know what they’re going through or what they have gone through. “The more good things you look for, the more you find.”
🖼️
This book releases next month on July 11th. You won’t want to miss it! Thank you to the publisher and Net Galley for the e-arc and alc of this book. These are my own thoughts and opinions.
🖼️
Content: near death experience, bullying, manipulation, some language, closed door, mention of past loss of parent

Hello Stranger packed much more of an emotional punch that I was prepared for. Center really knows how to weave together personal growth and romance seamlessly.

Sadie is getting ready to celebrate one of her biggest achievements when the unexpected happened - which resulted in her having to have brain surgery that ends up giving her a condition known as face blindness. I can't even imagine what it's like to not be able to see faces correctly and Sadie's struggles with it really came through. Through Sadie's journey you also learn a lot about the condition, which I liked.

Sadie is a portrait artist so her new face blindness really impacts how she is making money and the big art competition that she is in. Unsurprisingly she has a hard time dealing with it, as well as dealing with family issues. Her mom passed away a long time ago, her step mom keeps pushing her after her accident/surgery and her stepsister is the wicked witch of the west.

There is also Joe, a neighbor who ends up giving Sadie the help she needs, in more ways than one. I adored Joe and loved how their relationship slowly developed.

When life as you know it changes and you have no control over the future. This gives you the opportunity even if it doesn't feel like an opportunity to find the life you always wanted. Sadie had life-altering medical event. As she relearning how to identify people she learns about herself and how she sees others.

I enjoy Katherine Center and enjoyed Hello Stranger! It’s far from perfect but if you want a fun rom com/chick lit/ book where you know that it will go, then this is your book and Katherine Center is your girl to read! Sweet but not spicy reads, she is an author that is becoming an auto-read for me.

We have Sadie who is finally getting somewhere in her career with becoming a finalist in a competition and then…life happens. She has to have brain surgery and after she wakes up she cant see faces anymore! And what is a painter who paints portraits of people to do?

I admit I was a little leery when I saw the book description and saw that there is a love triangle, but it really wasn’t. This was a fun little journey to go on and see what happens with the competition. We have some supporting characters that I totally adored as well! And of course, Sadie has her oldest friend: her dog Peanut!

I called the twist early on in the book, but this isn’t a thriller, it’s a romance. Even if you ‘call it’ like I did, just sit back and enjoy the journey! I did have some issues, but can’t go into because that would involve giving away spoilers and if I ultimately don’t have to, I won’t!

Patty Murin is the narrator and she is another one of my favorites! And it seems like she and Center are two that just go together so well! I look forward to future and past Center novels that they have worked on together.

This is the one time I wish I had a physical copy so I could share a line I absolutely loved towards the end of the book. I listen while I drive, so finding it is next to impossible! I tried. It’s a line that makes sense with the story and what I believe Center was trying to reach her readers with.

Be sure to read the author’s note and acknowledgements to learn about the real disorder that Sadie has: Prosopagnosia. I had never heard of it and this was a way to learn about this disorder. Center very much did her research for this novel. Not just on Prosopagnosia, but research on painting and veterinarian work. Center also gives some insight to the romance genre that just makes sense as to why we even pick up romances in the first place!

Many thanks to the publisher for granting me an ALC to listen to and review!

dnf 40%
I struggled with this one from day one. I wanted to give it a fair chance as I've heard great things about the author but I just hate Sadie so much. The most interesting thing about Sadie and the book as a whole is the face blindness she develops after brain surgery. This would be a big deal to anyone but is even more disastrous for Sadie as she is a portrait artist who is about to enter a prestigious competition. I was annoyed with Sadie before she lost her face recognition. She was sooooo whiney and self-centered. She was constantly complaining but when someone tries to help she rejects them so she can continue to be miserable. She also claimed she did not want her family to be a part of her life, but the moment she got into the portrait competition she immediately called here dad to brag. Which is it? do you want a relationship or not? Stick to your boundaries. I get it, her step sister is cartoonishly awful, but if you want boundaries, you have to set them and stick to them. I also found the inconsistencies with who she could and could not recognize to be really really annoying. Why could she instantly recognize the voice of her friend but had no clue who her step sister was? If she really did have trauma from her step-sister there is no way she wouldn't recognize her voice. Also if she can still distinguish bodies, why didn't she figure out the whole veterinarian situation? it just didn't make sense and I was tired of trying to wrap my brain around the whole thing, so I'm done.

I would say I spend about have the time I spent with the book listening to the audiobook. I really really love Pattie Murin but I honestly think her narration was part of the reason I found Sadie so annoying, which is painful to say.

I had high hopes for this book after reading the authors last book. I was not disappointed.

Sadie Montgomery is getting her big break! Until something breaks for real.

Sadie is a portrait artist chosen to enter in a contest that will make her whole career if she succeeds. The universe interjects and throws Sadie a giant curve ball. One day she wakes up and can't see faces.

Her boved dog Peanut is the only one in her life she can make out facial features of. All the people are abstract features blurring together.

Now she has a short amount of time to hope she heals, or to learn to paint portraits without seeing faces.

This is a novel with lots of humour, awkward encounters, and a love triangle with Sadie, a handsome vet and the neighbourhood "Weisel".

Although there were funny aspects, this book also touches on loss of a family member, healing as a grown up, anxiety abd mental health, and learning to adapt and ask your loved ones for help.

It was a super enjoyable novel and another winner from Katherine Centre!

I want you to imagine your best friend, your boyfriend, your girlfriend, your mom, your dad, hell your DOG. Now, imagine that you can vaguely think of them but you just cannot remember their face. You know that your best friend usually wears her hair in a high ponytail (but what about when she doesn't?) but nothing about the way she smiles. This is how we meet the main character, Sadie. She just had a random seizure and is now diagnosed with face blindness, which yes, is a real thing. As if that's not enough, she is supposed to be competing in a portrait competition that she's been dreaming about for so long.

I love Katherine Center's books. They're always interesting in the way that many of them bring in medical issues that are very much possible, yet pretty rare. It adds a little more to the romances that she writes. This story would have gone so much differently if Sadie were able to see the people that she was talking to.

I really enjoyed this story. It brought me back to her books like How to Walk Away, which is around where I started reading Katherine Center. I definitely would recommend this book and the audio was very well done also.

I had the privilege of listening to the audio for the delightful, Hello Stranger by Katherine Center. A couple things to share about the audio. The narrator has a lovely voice. She sounds young and perky like our main character. She's also an experienced narrator who narrates lots of romance novels so you might recognize her. One unique feature of this audio is that it includes narrated author notes. I love hearing the authors inspiration and process. I listen to a lot of audiobooks and this isn't always included.

Now the story, it is adorable! It is a unique story idea. Our main character, Sadie is a portrait artist who just developed face blindness. As you can imagine this is a major life shift and hijinks ensues. There are a couple of surprises/plot twists. I guessed where it was headed, but I do not think everyone will. I also appreciated the realism- people don't fall in love immediately, people don't magically heal after one conversation, and life isn't perfect all the time, but we can still have a happy ending. I would also like to share that the intimacy is closed door.

Overall, it is very enjoyable and I would happily recommend it. This is my first Katherine Center book and would love to give her others a try.

Thank you, #netgalley and #Macmillan Audio for the advanced audio copy.

This book had such a unique premise that I absolutely fell in love with! The audio was superb and made it such a loveable read!

Sadie is a portrait painter who has just found out that she has made it to the final round of the North American Portrait Society portrait painting competition. She is leaving the corner store with a few bottles of wine to celebrate when she has a non-convulsive seizure in the middle of the road and is saved by a good samaritan. Sadie wakes up in the hospital and discovers that she has a cavernoma, an enlarged blood vessel in her brain that needs to be removed soon. Her dad reveals to her that this is what caused her mother's death so he immediately schedules Sadie for surgery. The surgery goes well, until Sadie discovers that she cannot see people's faces. She is diagnosed with prosopagnosia (face blindness), which throws a major monkey wrench in her plans for the portrait competition!

Sadie has quite a few laugh-out-loud adventures throughout the course of the novel. I even found myself literally face-palming my forehead at one point because I just wanted to shake her (poor girl had no idea!).

Overall, I highly recommend this novel! It was a fun adventure that brought to light some real-life circumstances that I wouldn't have thought of. Kudos to the author for being inventive and coming up with something out of the box!

Sadie Montgomery is a portrait painter who is suddenly struck with face blindness. It happens at a critical time in her career and she is struggling with how to continue doing what she loves. She also needs to find a way to recognize the people around her. One person is Joe, a helpful man in her building who she is attracted to. But just when she thinks she is moving forward, someone who has plagued her for years, throws more complications in her path. My heart broke for Sadie as she struggled to find her way, but soared as she learned to let go of who she thought she should be, and become her authentic self. Joe was so sweet, caring, and patient with Sadie, from the very beginning, even when she tries to push him away. I really fell hard and cared for both of them, as I cheered for their HEA. I also loved all the secondary characters who were always there for Sadie, supporting and caring for her, showing up when she needed them most.
Patti Murin's narration was spectacular! She just brings that little something extra to her narration. I was completely captivated in her performance, and the way she developed and expressed these characters, and their struggles so intimately, making each character come alive.
There is just so much to love about this hilarious, emotional, intriguing, and heartfelt story that made me feel, and left me extremely happy!

Huge Katherine Center fan since reading The Body Guard. Hello Stranger is another enjoyable read! Lovable characters, interesting story, and charming romance. Feel good fiction at its best.

Patti Murin is an entertaining narrator.

Thank you McMillan Audio and NetGalley for the early copy for my honest opinion.

Katherine Center is my new go-to author for a feel good read. Sadie Montgomery is such a relatable and endearing heroine. Her acquired case of prosopagnosia or face blindness is a reminder of how intricately connected our senses are. The Author's Note included a checklist for a nourishing read:
Did it make me laugh? ✔
Did it make me swoon? ✔
Did it keep me up too late reading? ✔
Did it give me that blissed-out feeling? ✔
Did it give me something to think about? ✔
A new perspective? ✔
And something to look forward to? ✔
That's why I gave this one all the stars.
Thank you to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for an audio arc in exchange for an honest review.

Hello Stranger by Katherine Center: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️🌟
Format: ALC from MacMillan Audio through NetGalley
Pub date: July 11

Sadie Montgomery is having a rough go. Though she is recently single, and struggling to make ends meet, she is determined to support herself as a portrait artist without asking for help. But when a new diagnosis results in face blindness, Sadie’s aversion to help lands her in a pickle. How is she supposed to make a living painting faces? Hilarities ensue when Sadie finds herself torn between two very different new men in her life- neither of which she has seen before the face blindness set in. How can she choose between two men she’s never seen?

Aside from the love triangle dilemma, Hello Stranger has much to offer. Sadie’s crash course through face blindness guides her through family drama, professional strain, and personal growth and healing. These more complex themes complement the comedic moments of the story and result in a wonderful romantic comedy.

I binged this audiobook in a day and a half, I could not stop listening! I found it to be perfectly adorable and entertaining. The audio performance by Patti Murin was excellent as well. This is a comfort read that I can see myself listening to again and again- I can’t say enough good things about Hello Stranger, and I am so glad to recommend this book to rom-com and chick lit lovers.

PS: For scientific purposes it is my solemn duty to report that this is a very mild romance. It contains PG-13 romance, I would not classify as spicy. It is also a very slow burn. I loved this book regardless and I hope you do too!

Thank you to MacMillan Audio for the ALC through NetGalley in exchange for my honest feedback. Hello Stranger publishes on July 11 🎉